


The Cost of Misery

by Cyanidal



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Betrayal, Blood, Implied/Referenced Murder, M/M, Permadeath AU, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28140168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanidal/pseuds/Cyanidal
Summary: Drabbles and One-shots of Team ZIT and their respective members that I don't deem worthy of their own publishing.
Relationships: Tango Tek/Zedaph (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boneblock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneblock/gifts).



> Was it worth it?
> 
> Probably not, but he still loved anyway.
> 
> Tags; Unrequited love, Pining

_“Is it worth it?”_

The grass was damp beneath his feet with early morning dew, the birds chirping their sunrise songs. The cool air of the mountain was blissful as it blew past. A couple small rabbits bounced by, unbothered by his presence. Behind him, a few cows were mooing softly to each other; he was at home here. It was peaceful on top of his mountain.

Well, the trees were peaceful; he was far from being at peace.

He lets out a sigh, the breath soft and cold in the air. He finds himself out here more and more frequently with every passing day. Yet he never finds the answer he needs.

_“Is loving him worth it?”_

‘No’, he thinks bitterly, before his gaze softens once again. Loving someone forever out of reach, just barely, isn’t worth it. Seeing the way they connect with their partner and not you is a new kind of pain. One that’s slowly tearing him apart.

So he tells himself it’s not worth it.

Still, he knows it’s a lie. In these early mornings, when the mountain air is still crisp as it mingles with the ocean breeze, he knows it isn’t worth it to continue this road. It doesn’t make it easier to give up though, so he doesn’t. He continues lying to himself if only to try and get through the days.

It was painful really, to see the man he loves in someone else's open arms.

  
  


Zed isn’t sure when Tango stole his heart; he’s only sure that he’ll never get it back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blood on his hands was a small price to pay for revenge after years of betrayal.
> 
> Tango just wonders when Impulse crossed the line of fantasy play to something darker.
> 
> Tags: Implied/Referenced Murder, Betrayal, Blood, Ambiguous/Open ending, Permadeath AU (implied)

There was a look in Impulse’s eyes he didn’t like. Stumbling backwards, Tango’s back hit the wall of his base. Impulse said nothing, simply watching him with a vague look of amusement.

“Impulse why are you...why are you covered in blood..?” His voice was quiet and shaky and Tango regretted the question as soon as it was asked.

Something in Impulse’s demeanor changed again and he crowded into Tango’s space. The shorter hermit tried to duck out of the way but Impulse was faster, slamming his shoulders back against the wall.

The blood on Impulse’s shirt was a horrendous smell.

“I told you to stay out of it,” Impulse’s voice was lower than usual and Tango felt his heart beat faster in an unpleasant way, “and what did you do? You stuck your nose right where it didn’t belong.”

Tango went to speak but one of Impulses hands slapped over his mouth, the other on his chest to keep him from running. The grin Impulse gave was not unlike a demons.

“I think that nose is the first thing I’ll take care of.”

Before Tango could process what that meant Impulse’s hand left his mouth and a fist collided with his nose. He saw stars as he vaguely registered a cry of pain. Impulse’s free hand kept Tango’s own from cradling his nose. Tango could feel the blood running down as his so-called friend looked pleased above him.

“Excellent! That’s one problem solved.”

Tango refused to look at Impulse, seeing a frown out the corner of his eye. Suddenly, his hair was yanked, forcing him to look up.

“You look at me when I’m speaking, Tango,” Impulse looked outright pissed when Tango growled back at Impulse as his only response, “No one is coming for you. I’ve already taken care of your ‘precious’ teammates.”

Tango cursed mentally before moving suddenly, kicking off the wall to head butt Impulse. To a degree it worked, but Impulse had always been stronger with a wider build than Tango, so he just stumbled back a bit. Tango threw a follow up punch, missing as Impulse just grabbed the fist and shoved. Tango was too off balance from attempting to get away, losing it completely as he was pushed backwards.

Tango’s back hit the ground painfully but he attempted to scramble back his feet anyway. A boot connected with his chest and prevented him from doing so. It kept him pinned down but then kept pressing until Impulse’s full weight was on the foot. His face was unreadable as he leaned down toward Tango, who was currently attempting to wiggle out from under the boot. A litany of curses spilled from Tango’s mouth as he seethed with anger, wanting to refuse Impulse the delight of seeing anymore of his weakness.

From the angle he was at, he could finally take in just the sheer amount of blood covering Impulse, splattered in every direction. Tango thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he watched some drip down Impulse’s face.

“I can’t let you go anywhere.”

Tango froze in his wiggling, red eyes meeting bright yellow, “Impulse this is insane! This whole...this whole mycelium war thing, it was all a joke. For fun You know that! So...so why...”

Impulse’s expression morphed into a look of pure anger, “Every time Tango, you’ve betrayed me. You’ve fought against me. Just think back to the civil war...I even told you how I felt. But you never cared about me did you?”

Tango’s gaze softened despite his position, “What? Impulse of course I care about you! This stupid war wasn’t meant to...to turn into whatever this is!”

Impulse looked conflicted for a moment before his anger won out.

“I don’t care anymore Tango, really. They’re gone and now it’s just you.”

Tango isn’t sure where the sword came from, just that it was sharp as it poked is neck. He tried to press further into the ground, away from the weapon, and let out a small noise as he felt it pierce skin. Impulse looked delighted and it made Tango sick to the core.

He didn’t dare move as Impulse moved to knee, partially on him without ever moving the sword. He didn’t dare breath as Impulse leaned close, grinning while a small droplet hit Tango’s face. It made Tango’s stomach lurch knowing it belonging to another HEP member. Another member who wouldn’t be seen again. Or maybe that droplet belonged to multiple of them. Tango didn’t know.

As the sword blade moved to the side to rest firm across his throat, Impulse’s spoke once more between grinning teeth.

“Don’t worry,  _ dear _ , it’s not going to hurt,” Tango unconsciously began to attempt to get away, Impulse laughing as the blade bit deeper without any effort on his part,

  
  


_ “It’s gonna burn.” _


End file.
